My Taylor GTe

[Goat Mick]

I've just gotta say that this is the most comfortable and fun to play guitar I've ever owned. It's on a stand beside my desk and it's hard to fight the urge to pick it up and spend a couple of minutes enjoying a song. I bought it because it has the full, rich sound of a full size guitar but with a shorter scale. I figured it would be good to use for that 4th gig in a row situation (and it is!), but I've found I just really enjoy having it close to me to noodle around on too. And the black top is kinda sexy too. If you haven't tried a GT size Taylor, or if you're having trouble finding a guitar that works for compromised hands definitely give one of these a try.

[Rudy4]

The "Shorter Scale" of the Taylor GT series is 24-1/8" for anyone curious.

I'm personally a big fan of guitars that are somewhat shorter, but not really in the "short scale" category. My current main squeeze is a 24-3/4" scale, somewhat in the same ballpark as the GT.

Taylor's thought process for the GT was to basically mimic a "standard" 25-1/2" scale instrument, capoed at the first fret and tuned down a half step. This effectively gives you a shorter scale for easier fret to fret reach as well as a reduction in string tension, making for easier playing.

I think it's a great idea and more folks should try out the GT or similar guitars. The good news is it's easy to try out the overall effect if you have a guitar with a 25-1/2" scale length. Capo at the first fret and drop your tuning a half step.

If you have one of those "I LOVE this!" moments, than a Taylor GT should be in your sites for a next purchase.

[Proclaimer888]

I like the black top. Heard these guitars are fun and easy to play......congrats!

[jricc]

The Blacktop is cool. That's great it is working for you. I love small body guitars and could see myself getting one of these at some point.

[Goat Mick]

I've had it for about a month now and have played several gigs with it. I'm not planning on getting rid of my other guitars, but dang it, this one makes me smile. Andy Powers said he came up with this design because of all of the requests he got for a solid wood GS Mini. He didn't think that a solid back and sides would improve the GS Mini at all but it did give him the idea to "blow up" the design a bit to a larger body and solid wood.

Oh yeah, and I now own two Walnut guitars from Taylor and I really like it as a back and sides wood.

[Sarhog]

I only have 2 acoustic guitars, but one of them is a Taylor Urban Ash GT, and it is my favorite.

[Nick84]

They are a great guitar. I got hooked playing a GT Urban ash whilst I waited for a part to be brought over from a warehouse.

I then started shopping round for a GT shape without ES2.

Both mine have Fishman Matrix pickups in and they get a lot of gig time and play time at home.

[waterlooz]

I got to spend a week with a GTe and completely understand the lure of this guitar - the body shape, size, tone, etc. I felt compelled to play it quite often and found myself noodling around and enjoying it much more than my GS Mini which has me in a current quandary so to speak. : )

So, here it is, if you had a GS Mini, would you part with and go GT considering the build, size, and other differences? I get caught up in the GS Mini is a great travel size, etc. But there is no doubt that the right GT can be super next level compared to the GS Mini.

[Goat Mick]

Originally Posted by waterlooz

I got to spend a week with a GTe and completely understand the lure of this guitar - the body shape, size, tone, etc. I felt compelled to play it quite often and found myself noodling around and enjoying it much more than my GS Mini which has me in a current quandary so to speak. : )

So, here it is, if you had a GS Mini, would you part with and go GT considering the build, size, and other differences? I get caught up in the GS Mini is a great travel size, etc. But there is no doubt that the right GT can be super next level compared to the GS Mini.

I can't tell you how many times I had a GS Mini in my hands with the intent to buy and just couldn't make myself take one home. They are an awesome guitar for what they're designed for, but somehow for me they just fall a little short. I'm a little guy, but the scale length doesn't give me enough room past the 5th fret to play chords cleanly. And when played aggressively it feels like the tone just kinda farts out to my ears. I know a lot of people love these guitars, but for me they just don't work.

On the other hand, my GTe felt great from the first time I picked it up. I can feel that it's a smaller guitar, but it doesn't look like a little guitar. And mine has great, full bass response. It plays very easily, but I still have plenty of room down the neck. It kinda has the Goldilocks effect, it feels just right. It's not the first guitar I pick up for a gig, but it's the first one I pick up at home. And those times when I've already played 3 gigs in a week and still have another one on Sunday afternoon it makes getting through those last 3 hours much more pleasant.

[srbell]

I have both a GTe Urban Ash and a GS Mini e Rosewood. They're both fantastic instruments that are somewhat interchangeable, but not completely. The GS Mini I leave out on a stand all the time. I have a room humidifier so I don't let the humidity get to far out of line, but I don't really worry about it with the Mini. Also, the Mini cost about half what the GT cost, so when I go camping or for campfire or cookout playing I use the Mini. The GT on the other hand is a finely built solid wood instrument, with an ever so slightly longer scale length than the Mini. I treat it more like my 814 - keep it in the case unless playing it in the winter, though summers in my area have favorable humidity levels in my home to just leave it out too. I'll take it if I want to play at church or jamming with friends. They're both similar in size, but for me they play different roles.

[Luckymud]

Originally Posted by srbell

I have both a GTe Urban Ash and a GS Mini e Rosewood. They're both fantastic instruments that are somewhat interchangeable, but not completely. The GS Mini I leave out on a stand all the time. I have a room humidifier so I don't let the humidity get to far out of line, but I don't really worry about it with the Mini. Also, the Mini cost about half what the GT cost, so when I go camping or for campfire or cookout playing I use the Mini. The GT on the other hand is a finely built solid wood instrument, with an ever so slightly longer scale length than the Mini. I treat it more like my 814 - keep it in the case unless playing it in the winter, though summers in my area have favorable humidity levels in my home to just leave it out too. I'll take it if I want to play at church or jamming with friends. They're both similar in size, but for me they play different roles.

Can you tell me how different the GTE sounds from the GS Mini? I have a mini and I really like the ability to leave it out and not worry about it. But I do wish it was just a bit bigger. Some of the comments I've seen have mentioned the GT size is bigger but it doesn't sound that noticeably different from the mini. Comments on this?

I'm actually hoping Taylor decides to put the GT size in the 200 series, with layered sides/back and an arched back -- I think that would make it interesting as a "size up" GS mini. I know that's sort of counterintuitive to why Andy was even making the GT (because people asked for an all-solid Mini). But idk. I think the arched back might also add some bottom end to the guitar.

[srbell]

Originally Posted by Luckymud

Can you tell me how different the GTE sounds from the GS Mini?

That's a good question. I'm at work so I can't take a critical listen at the moment to give a detailed description, but I do know the GT sounds better to my ears than the GS Mini. It also feels better for my hands as it's scale length and nut width are both a little bigger than the Mini's. That being said, the sound difference between them isn't really huge. The Mini is so well designed that it sounds much better than most would expect from a travel guitar.
If I could only have one of them, for sound and feel both, I'd pick the GT, but that does come at a significantly higher price. Only you can decide if the sound/feel difference is worth the price difference.
I think it really comes down to your purpose for the guitar. If you need the added durability that layered back and sides provides, and the most compact instrument that still sounds great, then the Mini is your pick. If you want a solid wood short scale guitar, but not quite a small as the Mini, then the GT is a great choice. You really can't go wrong with either one.

[CASD57]

I might have to check one of these out... I have an AD17e that looks like yours..Ie.. Black Top
I'm a fan of the capo... not for the reason of easier played notes but for the different tone when you capo up the neck, I just like the sound of a capo'd guitar